"I'm really sorry. I didn't expect my stomach would hurt for so long after eating. It's probably because the eggs and potatoes were not cooked, and there was too much fat and spices in the fried steak." Isidor said to Esna with a bitter face.
"Pfft~ You look so cute when you're frustrated. Well, let's start practicing. I hope what happened last night didn't consume too much of your energy." Esina said as she stood up and used telekinesis to push away everything around her, clearing a space for practice.
When the afternoon sun shone into the top floor of the bell tower, the sword in the library had not yet been unsheathed.
Isidor didn't quite understand why Esina wanted to teach him swordsmanship but didn't take out the sword.
"What I'm going to teach you now is footwork." Aisina said, with her left foot in front and her right foot behind, her hands clenched in the air as if she was holding a long sword.
"Footwork? Aren't you going to teach me swordsmanship?" Isidor said somewhat confused.
"Footwork is the foundation of swordsmanship, or more precisely, the control of the center of gravity," said Aisina.
"Center of gravity?"
"Isidor, do you know the difference between a sword and a stick?" asked Esna.
"The sword should have an edge, while the stick should not have an edge, right? So one is a sharp weapon and the other is a blunt weapon." Isidor replied.
"Wrong, the center of gravity of the sword is at the back, while the center of gravity of the stick is closer to the front. This is the essential difference between the two." Esna shook her head.
"But what effect does this have in actual combat? I use the sword in the same way as a stick, and it feels quite comfortable," said Isidor.
"Esina, just give him the sword. Practice is more suitable for him than theory." Iovia interrupted.
"In that case, let's use actual combat to illustrate it." Esna said, taking out her sword from the box and handing it to Isidor.
Isidor drew out the long sword, only to find that the blade was slender and even wobbled a little when he swung it. It looked like a hand-and-a-half sword, but it was obviously lighter.
"Come on, cut me." Esna said with her arms opened as if ready to welcome a lover's embrace.
"Ah? You don't need a sword?" Isidor asked.
"I said I would teach you footwork, so the focus of this lesson is not on the sword," said Esna.
"Then I'll really chop her down." Isidor put down the scabbard, posed, and slashed at Esna with the sword.
Aisina took a half step back lightly, just avoiding the incoming sword.
"Go on, come at me with the intention of killing me!" Esina urged.
Isidor had no choice but to raise his sword and strike again, but Esina took a step back to avoid it. Isidor rushed forward and struck again, but this time Esina did not retreat, but dodged to the left side of Isidor.
Isidor's dominant hand is his right hand, and it was very inconvenient for him to exert force when his left side was occupied by the enemy, so he turned around hurriedly. However, several movements made his steps disordered, and this turn was even a little unstable.
Esina smiled, stretched out her hand and pushed him on the shoulder. Isidor fell to the ground uncontrollably, and the sword slipped out of his hand and fell to the side.
"What's wrong with me today? Is it because I consumed too much energy last night?" Isidor patted his butt and stood up, unable to understand why he fell to the ground so easily.
"I am the one who guides your center of gravity, making your posture collapse step by step. In a sword fight, posture is very important. The start, attack and defense, and changes in reality and illusion all start with the initial posture. Once the posture collapses, losing is only a matter of time. The key to posture lies in the center of gravity I just mentioned." Aisina said seriously.
"Imagine that there is a string holding up your body, suspending you between the sky and the earth. With every step you take and every strike of the sword, you must ensure that the string is perpendicular to the ground." Esna said, correcting Isidor's posture step by step.
"Esina, what you teach is a bit too orthodox. Wouldn't it be better to just teach some sword moves so as to improve strength faster?" Iovia yawned as she watched from the side.
"That won't work. Once you develop bad habits, it will be difficult to correct them. Only by laying a solid foundation now can you reach a higher ceiling in the future." As Esina said this, she couldn't help but yawn.
"It seems this thing is really contagious," Isidor said, yawning.
"Maybe it's too stuffy here, after all, there's one more person. Let's go to the sanatorium you mentioned to practice tomorrow, and visit Miss Nimega. After all, as the attending physician, I also need to visit patients." Aisina said with a smile.
"Just talk, can you please stop touching me all the time?" Isidor reminded.
"How can you talk to your swordsmanship instructor? I'm just observing whether your force application method is correct!"
"It's clearly harassment..."
"So what if I'm harassing you? Human laws don't protect goblins." Esina laughed unscrupulously.
Chapter 47: Invitation to Revenge
The next day, Esna really brought Iovia to the sanatorium, but she was wearing a white robe and a hood to cover her elf face.
"Nimega, this is Miss Esuna who healed your injuries," Isidor introduced.
"Thank you, Miss Esna... Wow, you are so beautiful." Nymega hurried forward to thank her, and when she caught a glimpse of Esna's appearance, she couldn't help but be stunned.
"No need to thank me. This is the first time I've seen such a beautiful symbiote." Esna reached out to help Nymega, who was about to salute, and said while looking into her eyes.
"Don't use her as a test subject," Isidor warned.
"How could that be? My research only focuses on the topic of biological reproduction." Aisina said as she took off her hood.
"Wow, you're an elf! No wonder you're so beautiful!" Nymega exclaimed.
"There are very few elves as beautiful as me." Esna said without any modesty.
"So conceited..." Isidor muttered softly.
"Were you not watching me intently while I was bathing?" Esina said disdainfully.
"Let's not talk about this for now. When are we going to start practicing swordsmanship?" Isidor quickly changed the subject.
"No more practicing. Today I want to teach my sister Nymega some cooking skills." After saying this, Esna took Nymega's hand and walked into the kitchen together.
"Ah? Then why am I here?" Isidor said awkwardly.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to teach you a few moves?" Iovia said with a smile.
"What are you going to teach me?" Isidor asked.
"I'm an assassin, and my fighting style is very different from that of an orthodox warrior, so I can't teach you the entire system like Esna did. All I can teach you is a few acrobatics," said Iovia.
"Juggling?" Isidor asked in confusion.
"Yes, it's something similar to magic, such as 'disappearing on the spot'." Iovia said, and suddenly disappeared from Isidor's sight.
Before Isidor could even express surprise, Iovia had already gently placed her nails on his neck.
If it were an actual battle, the winner would undoubtedly have been decided.
"How come you disappeared all of a sudden? Was it invisibility?" Isidor asked in surprise.
"I won't keep you in suspense. This is also my footwork. To put it bluntly, it's high-speed movement. To achieve the effect of sudden disappearance, three conditions are required: first, the speed must be fast; second, the sound when moving must be low; third, you have to watch the interval between the opponent's blinks." Iovia said, holding up three fingers.
"Do it again!" Isidor nodded.
"I'll do it ten more times." Iovia smiled and performed the disappearing technique repeatedly in the small room.
Almost every time Isidor blinked, Iovia's position would change. Isidor thought: This person would be a good player if he played one, two, three, statue.
"You've seen enough, right? Let's try it out in practice. As long as you can touch me once, you win. If I haven't been touched before Esina leaves the kitchen, I win. The loser will drink three cups as a punishment later." Iovia said.
Isidor thought that the house was so small and if he just grabbed around, he would definitely bump into something, so he agreed immediately.
"Ding ding! It's time to eat!"
When Esna and Nymega brought the sumptuous lunch, Isidor was already panting from exhaustion, but Iovia, on the other hand, didn't even break a sweat.
"No more playing. I can't touch you at all. If I couldn't still hear your voice, I would have thought you were just an illusion." Isidor said, panting.
"You have great endurance, but you use too many useless moves. If you can remove the impurities in your moves, you can beat me even if it's just a matter of endurance," Iovia commented.
"Did you play with Iovia just now? You're such an idiot. When she gets serious, she can't even catch up with a mad dog. It's just a waste of time to compete with her in speed." Esna laughed.
"Even if I'm not serious, I'm still faster than a dog." Iovia said dissatisfiedly.
"Yes, Iovia is more powerful than a dog! Here, give me a piece of meat bone as a reward." Aisina smiled and forked a leg of lamb onto Iovia's plate.
"Although I didn't win, I also gained something. Although my hands didn't touch it, my eyes can gradually keep up." Isidor smiled heartily, picked up the wine bottle and poured three glasses in a row, drinking them all in three gulps.
"Hey! This is a precious red wine! You have to savor it slowly. It's a waste if you drink it like this!" Esna shouted hurriedly.
"Do you feel bad when I drink your wine? Don't worry about her, drink ours." Iovia also poured a glass of red wine, picked up the glass and drank it all.
Seeing Esina's frustrated look, Isidor and Nymega couldn't help laughing.
Esna's cooking skills are excellent. Each dish she makes has its own unique flavor, which revives Isidor's taste buds that were destroyed by Nymega.
During the meal, Esna talked about some interesting things that happened during her adventure, making everyone laugh.
Time passed day by day, and Isidor learned footwork from Esna and played hide-and-seek with Iovia every day.
After more than a month, although there was no numerical increase, Isidor felt that he was obviously stronger than before. If he were to face his former self, the winner would be decided in a short time.
Aisna would visit Nymega every few days to check on her health and exchange cooking tips with her.
However, happy times are always very short. On this day, Dora May hurried to the bell tower to find Isidor.
"There are two people who claim to be senior brothers of Silver Moon Scimitar, and they specifically want to challenge you and Nymega one-on-one. They have killed many innocent merchants outside the city, and they claim that they will continue to kill people if you don't accept the challenge." Dora Mei said, taking out a blood-stained letter and handing it to Isidor.
Isidor took the letter and took a quick look. The content of the letter was basically the same as what Dora May had described. At the end, it also agreed on the time and place, requiring Isidor and Nymega to duel in a wasteland outside the town at noon three days later.
Originally, Isidor didn't want to pay attention to this kind of moral blackmail duel invitation. After all, what did it have to do with him if they killed a few businessmen?
But the woman who found him with the letter was, after all, the woman with whom he had once spent a night together. Moreover, her words were extremely arrogant and she did not take him seriously at all.
"Tell them I accept the challenge," Isidor said, handing the letter back to Dora-Mae.
"Is this really okay? Since the opponent has the courage for revenge, his strength must be no less than that of the Silver Moon Scimitar, that is, equivalent to two A-grade ones. It's difficult for you and Nymega to deal with one, wouldn't it be worse with two people? What's more, Miss Nymega's current physical condition makes it impossible for her to participate in the battle." Dora Mei said worriedly.
"Then what do you have in mind?" Isidor asked with a smile.
"It's already this time and you're still laughing? What I mean is: you pretend to agree to the duel, and I will gather all the adventurers above level B in Grimdor to ambush them secretly. As soon as they arrive at the scene, we will attack them in groups and kill them to prevent future troubles." Dora Mei said as she made a gesture of wiping her neck.
"Dora Mei, thank you very much for doing this for me, but the other party is not a fool. The duel will take place in a wasteland with flat land all around. Where can the adventurers ambush? Moreover, once a large force is mobilized, the news will inevitably leak out. Once they retreat, there will be endless troubles." Isidor said.
"Then what do you mean..."
"Tell them, if they want to fight, then fight. I, Isidor, will never break a promise. Please ask them to clear their shit and urine before coming, otherwise they will be incontinent when they die, which is not very beautiful." Isidor said.
Dora-Mae was still a little worried after hearing this, but Isidor's confidence also gave her some courage and encouragement.
"Okay! Then I'll arrange people to support you from afar, but you must win!" Dora Mei said while hugging Isidor tightly.
Chapter 48: The End of a Dog
Although he agreed to Dora May for the time being, Isidor was still a little nervous.
After a month of training, he believed that he was able to fight against A-rank adventurers, at least he would not need Nymega's sacrifice to create the opportunity like he did before.
However, he did not plan to fight head-on. After all, Nymega could no longer participate in the battle. If he fought one-on-one, the outcome would be unpredictable. If he fought one-on-two, wouldn't he be dead for sure?
Thinking of this, Isidor decisively returned to the clock tower and found Esna to explain the whole story.
"If the little goblin dies, the clues we have worked so hard to find will be lost. Iovia, why don't you go with Isidor? You haven't exercised for a while, so you can check on Isidor's practice results." Esna said.
"But, Iowa is an assassin after all, and the venue designated by the opponent is very open. Will it be okay if we fight head-on?" Isidor said worriedly.
"Miss Dark Elf, he is worried about your fighting ability." said Esina.
"Isidor is right. I really don't have much experience in direct combat. What is the enemy's strength?" Iovia asked.
"There are two people on the other side. It is estimated that their strength is no less than that of A-level adventurers." Isidor said.
"What is the level of an A-level adventurer? I haven't killed anyone in a while, so I'm not sure about the market situation." Iovia said.
"A month ago, Nymega and I teamed up to barely defeat the former A-rank Silver Moon Scimitar, and Nymega was seriously injured. Although I have become stronger recently, it is better to overestimate the enemy - even if it is twice my strength." Isidor said.
"If that's all, I think it shouldn't be a problem," Iowa said.
"In that case, please put on the hooded robe in three days and pretend to be Nymega and travel with me." Isidor nodded.
The battle was imminent, and Isidor was nervous and excited. He took the golden sword from Abe and asked Dora May to find some slime gel to preserve it. He practiced swordsmanship every day and repeatedly practiced the newly acquired skill shock wave.
The day of the agreed decisive battle finally arrived. Isidor, holding the golden sword, rushed to the battlefield with Iovia.
Two men with scimitars had already been standing there waiting. One of them was holding two knives, and the other was holding a scimitar of astonishing length. They were glaring at Isidor.
"I didn't think you would dare to come here! You actually killed such a beautiful junior sister. You are worse than pigs and dogs, and you are unforgivable!" The man carrying a huge scimitar walked forward and said.
"Being good-looking doesn't mean you can get away with it. She wants to kill me, so why can't I kill her?" Isidor smiled disdainfully and walked forward with the golden sword in hand.
"Haha, I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you. Junior sister is the dream lover of both of us. We must avenge her today! You two will fight against us two, one on one, until we die! Who of you can be my opponent?" The man with the big knife stepped forward and shouted loudly.
"Isidor, I leave this to you. I'll deal with the one with the two swords." Iovia whispered.
Isidor nodded, without further ado, he raised the golden sword and chopped at the enemy's head.
The man with the broadsword used his scimitar to block the golden sword, but the scene of the golden transformation and collapse did not happen. Only a little golden mark was left on the man's scimitar.
Isidor frowned. The opponent's weapon was obviously coated with anti-magic paint similar to resistant skin. If he could not rely on the golden sword to destroy the opponent's weapon, he could only win by hard power.
Thinking of this, he immediately stood firm and kept his center of gravity steady according to the footwork taught by Esna. Whether he was drawing the sword, blocking, dodging or attacking, he tried to keep his feet steady with every step.
